Take Me Seriously
by owlfawns
Summary: Senior year of high school can really throw someone for a loop. For Claire, her entire world is turned upside down. [Part of NaNoWriMo. Chapters will be uploaded upon completion of each one]
1. Prologue

"Claire, honey, this is Jamie. Can you say, 'hello?' He and his mother are going to be living next door to us from now on, so we're going to be nice neighbors, okay?" Claire's mother patted her small shoulder firmly, as though to assert the impossibility of any protesting. Claire quickly moved to hide behind her mother's skirt, Jamie across the carpet doing the exact same. Both of the mothers nudged their children forward onto the red rug of Claire's family living room. The adults moved to the kitchen, neighborhood gossip already on their tongues. Claire looked at Jamie with wary eyes. He kept his arms folded across his chest, his thin eyebrows furrowed together as he, too, looked Claire over.

"Um… Hi…" Claire's voice was small and quiet but enough to be heard in the large living room. There was a long silence between them as Jamie narrowed his icy blue eyes, analyzing Claire. She shrunk under his gaze, awaiting what he could possibly say.

"Your hair looks dumb and I hate your dress."

Claire looked down at her pink plaid dress and then back up at Jamie with a scrunched up expression. "Oh yeah?" she started. "Well, I think your hair is dumb! A-And that thing you're wearing is stupid!"

"It's a poncho!"

"No, it's stupid!"

The mothers poked their heads into the living room with a shared look of concern. The two women bid their farewells and promised to meet up together again soon. Jamie's mother, Mariel, ushered him back to their own house next door, chastising him for being rude to strangers. Once the door was closed, Claire ran into her mother's arms in tears.

"Mama, I don't like him! He's so mean!"

"Oh, honey…" Claire's mother, Diana, rubbed Claire's back soothingly. "He's been through a lot, okay? Just give him some time to adjust and I'm sure you two will be good friends. I promise."

Ten years should have been enough time, right?


	2. Chapter 1: If It Were Anyone Else

Claire groaned as her alarm clock blared again and again, the signal to drag herself out of bed and embrace another day. She climbed out of the warmth of her duvet and threw open her curtains with sleepy frustration, morning light pouring into her room like a flood. She sighed, eyeing the cloudless sky. It was going to be hot again. Claire shuffled over to her dresser, the top of it adorned in various photos of friends and family in different frames. The calendar on the wall next to the dresser had that day's date circled in a red pen: First Day of Senior Year. The day had been a long time coming and it had finally arrived.

With a heavy sigh, Claire stripped herself of her pajamas and changed into a plain green tee shirt and some jeans with minimal holes in them. The weather was still warm, the summer heat lingering with a laziness that infected everyone who breathed it. The long, blonde hair that Claire had proudly worked on growing out over the last few years now reached past her hips. Still, though, she tied it all up into a bun on the top of her head to keep her neck cool. Claire then grabbed her backpack and headed down the stairs to the kitchen.

Diana was already sat at the kitchen table, plates set for herself and her daughter. Claire quirked a brow as she took her seat and noted the empty seat where her father normally sat.

"Where's dad?"

"He had to head into work early this morning. He's working a lot of hours lately to go on that vacation this winter, so I make sure to pack him a nice lunch for him to take."

"Make sure there's no candy, mom. You know he can't have too much sugar. The doctor already warned him about his weight. He's getting a little tubby."

"Hush, Claire. Your father is not getting tubby." Diana chuckled and continued to eat her breakfast, pausing only to ask, "Are you ready for senior year?"

"Ready as I'll ever be, I guess."

"Well, that's good. Oh, by the way," Diana gave an apologetic smile. "You'll have to give Jamie a ride to school today. Mariel had to go to the church early this morning as well, and she took their car."

"Mom!" Claire groaned in frustration and threw her head back. "Can't he just take the bus or walk or something? I hate riding in the car with him! He's such a backseat driver!"

"Claire, be nice. Mariel asked me for this favor, and you know I can't say no to her!"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Fine, I'll give the jerk a ride."

"Thank you, Claire-bear. You're the best."

"I know I am."

The mother-daughter duo shared a look before both of them burst into laughter. Once breakfast was done, Claire brushed her teeth, grabbed her keys, kissed her mom goodbye, then headed out the door. Much to Claire's surprise, Jamie was already waiting at the end of the driveway. He looked impatient as always, purple hair combed neatly but still refusing to be styled exactly how he wanted it. Claire narrowed her eyes at him as he walked up the driveway to lean on her car.

"Would you mind not dirtying up my ride? It's bad enough I have to take you to school. The least you could do is try not to scratch my poor baby."

"The least you could do is get out here on time and close your curtains when you change."

Claire's eyes went wide and her cheeks flared red with embarrassment. She scoffed and unlocked the car, tossing her backpack in the back seat roughly to vent her frustration.

"Ugh, you're the worst!" Once they were both in the car with the doors shut, she started in on him. "Why were you even looking in my window anyways, you creep! Hurry up and put on your seatbelt, jerk." Once he did so, but not without a roll of his icy blue eyes, Claire backed out of the driveway and set off for the school. One short drive filled with Jamie shouting traffic law violations at her and they made it to the campus in one piece. They stepped out of the car once it was parked and Claire turned to Jamie with a stern look in her eyes.

"Alright, listen up Jamie. Don't talk to me at all unless it has to do with family or stuff for student council. Got it? I don't want to interact with you any more than I need to and I know you feel the exact same way."

"You've got that right." Jamie adjusted his backpack on his shoulders with a scoff. "As if I'd want to hear your incessant shouting in my day any more than I already have to endure it." He walked away without another word and Claire rolled her eyes, making sure to lock her car before heading into the school building, passing up Jamie without a second glance.

The first few classes of the school day passed by quickly, talk of syllabi and ice breakers passing the time easily. Once it was lunchtime, however, Claire grew excited. She headed for the usual spot from last year: the old computer room. There, Claire got together with all of her friends to eat their lunches and chat, secluded and away from the rest of the school's population. She opened the door and was immediately greeted with screams of excitement from the girls who were already there.

"Claire!" A peppy redhead by the name of Ann greeted Claire, bounding over to her to envelope the blonde in a tight hug. Claire laughed and hugged the girl back. "How was your summer, huh? We hardly heard from you!"

"Sorry, ladies. I was busy working at my mom's office." Claire offered them an apologetic smile and they all nodded in return. Ann released her hold on Claire and the two went to the rest of the group to sit down. "What about you guys? What'd you do over summer?"

"I worked in my dad's kitchen! It was super fun, but I messed up a lot. My dad called it 'a learning experience' or whatever, and told me to put it on my resume anyways." Ann shrugged and turned to another girl. "What about you, Elli?"

The girl in question, a short-haired brunette with a delicate face, looked up from her thermos of soup. "Oh, me? I stayed home and helped my granny around the house. She's not feeling well again, so we spent the summer doing fun things indoors. She taught me how to knit! My little brother was a pain in the butt as always, though."

"He's still in elementary school, isn't he?" Claire asked with a raised brow. Elli nodded in response, busy putting a spoon of soup into her mouth.

"I wish this heat would go away." Another girl whom Claire considered to be her best friend of the group, Jill, sighed as she fanned herself with her hand. "Our air conditioning broke at home halfway through the summer so we were dying."

"Ugh, that sounds terrible. I need this heat to end before I sweat through every shirt I own." Claure huffed and began to fan herself as well.

"Well, have you tried not running everywhere you go?" Ann gave Claire a knowing look.

"I don't run. I hurry. Places to go, people to see, Jamie to avoid."

"Yikes, you still had to deal with him during the summer, huh?" Elli gave Claire a sympathetic pat on the shoulder.

"Yeah, his mom kept sending him over whenever she had to go on a church retreat, so he was crashing at my place at least once a week. It was so annoying."

"Wasn't that weird? Didn't your parents care that you had a guy in the same house?" Jill asked with wide, violet eyes. She was skeptical of the situation, most likely ready to get the girls to all gang up on Jamie if he had tried something with Claire. Claire only shrugged her shoulders.

"Nah, not really. We've been doing that since we were little. He just sleeps in the guest room and we both have different bathrooms. We basically just avoid each other every time he's there and just pretend the other doesn't exist. Kind of like at school, you know?"

"Well, I guess if it's like that…" Elli's voice trailed off as she thought, then she spoke up again. "But, wouldn't it be different if it were anyone else?"

"What do you mean?" Claire quirked a brow in curiosity.

"Oh! What if it was someone else?" Ann took over, an excited glint in her eyes. "That would be so romantic, don't you think? Some guy spending the night at your house, only a room away. Sneaking around the house at night to see each other so you don't wake up your parents?" Ann hugged herself, a shiver visibly running through her. "That sounds so exciting!"

Claire could only roll her eyes at her friend's fantasy and continued to eat her lunch. She listened to Ann, Elli, and Jill go back and forth about the imaginary possibilities. Having Jamie around the house was so common that Claire never thought twice about it. Rather, she did her best not to think about it at all. However… Ann and Elli were right. Had it been anyone else, the situation would have been completely different. But in the end, it was just Jamie. The two avoided one another at all costs and kept out of one another's business. That was their relationship since they were younger and there was nothing more to be said on the matter.

The shrill bell ringing broke Claire out of her thoughts and she bid farewell to her friends as she headed for her next class. Thankfully, it was her elective period. Unfortunately, that meant Jamie would be there. The two shared a period for Student Council and, while it bothered her to no end, at least she held a higher position than him. Claire had won the title of Student Council Vice President while Jamie had gotten Treasurer instead. They were both beat out by another girl named Gwen, but at least Claire could hold her own victory over Jamie's head. Of course, she couldn't literally do anything over Jamie's head considering their height difference. He stood at a lanky six-foot-one whereas Claire was an entire foot shorter than him. Jamie was sure to bring that up often, much like she did her council position. They were equally armed with ammunition to irritate the other.

Claire entered the already bustling room and took her assigned seat next to the Student Council President, her eyes catching Jamie enter the room chatting with someone in a cheerful manner. Well, at least, as cheerful as Jamie could be. It was surprising to see him so social voluntarily, but Claire decided it wasn't any of her business and returned to looking over the agenda the secretary had handed out. Everyone took their respective seats and Gwen got started with the meeting, calling it to order. The plans for future events and solutions for any present issues were discussed and settled quickly and efficiently. The meeting ended rather early, around fifteen minutes still left in the period, and most of the council members spent the time chatting with one another and catching up on first-day-of-school gossip. Claire, however, remained in her seat and looked over the agenda once more. The year would be filled with several different activities aimed towards celebrating the seniors' final year in high school, but it sure looked expensive. Just how did they expect to pay for all of that with the budget the school had given them? It was a problem for the treasurer, sure, but as vice president Claire felt she had an obligation to make sure their plans were actually possible.

"This budget is ridiculous. Is this your doing?"

Claire looked up from the agenda to see Jamie standing at her desk, agenda also in hand. The blonde rolled her eyes and sighed.

"Obviously not, or this wouldn't be an issue. I just got this agenda today, so don't go pinning this on me. It was probably the event coordinator and the president who thought these all up. I'll see what I can do, since I have a problem with this as well. I'm not sure what I can do about it, though."

"Tch, some vice president you are." Jamie huffed and turned on his heel to go sit back down at his desk and look over the documents again. Claire sighed and put the agenda in her binder, making a mental note to talk to Gwen about the issue. She'd have some work cut out for her, it seemed.

When the school day finally came to an end, Claire's backpack had gained some serious weight. She had managed to fit most of her textbooks for the year in her backpack, carrying the other two in her arms as she headed out to the parking lot to her car. She put her backpack and books in the back of her car and sighed as she scanned the crowd of people for Jamie. Claire finally spotted him, his purple hair easy to spot in the crowd once he got out there, but he was once again walking with the stranger from before. He didn't seem bothered by their presence, much to Claire's surprise, and as he parted ways with them and headed for the car, Claire raised a brow at him.

"Who was that?"

"None of your business."

Claire rolled her eyes at his answer and got in the car, Jamie doing the same silently. Without another word on the matter, the two headed home. As they pulled into the driveway, Claire parked and turned to Jamie.

"Oh, by the way, Dad wants you and Mariel to come over for dinner to celebrate the first day of our senior year. If you don't want to just let me know so I can tell my parents."

"My mom has another church thing tonight so she won't be home until later. I'll come by if I'm hungry."

"Of course you'll be hungry. We're making spaghetti. You'll be able to smell it as it's cooking."

"... Fine."

"M'kay. I'll tell my mom to set another place for you."

With that, the two exited the car and went to their respective homes. Claire called out to her mom that she was home and headed up to her room to place down all of her textbooks. The first day of school and Claire already had plenty of work to do. She sat down at her desk and got started, putting herself into her work-mode until her mother called her down for dinner. The scent of garlic bread and tomato sauce filled the air and drew Claire down the stairs to the dining room. Much to her surprise, Jamie was already there with a plate in front of him.

"Oh, you're here already. I forgot to tell my mom." Claire turned to her mother with an apologetic smile. Diana simply rolled her eyes but smiled regardless. Claire took her seat next to Jamie and her mom sat down. Again, there was an empty seat at the table where Claire's father was supposed to be. "Is dad working late again?"

"Yes, again," Diana sighed. "You know how he can be. He's just got to finish the project he's working on."

"At least he's hardworking. It's a good trait to have." Jamie spoke up as he twirled some pasta on his fork.

"True…" Diana gave Jamie a pointed look. "But, don't you ever leave your family waiting for you, okay? Dinner with family is very important." She looked to Claire with a soft smile and Claire returned it before digging into her food. The three of them continued to eat together, speaking up every now and then with casual conversation about the kids' school day. Once the meal was done, Jamie wiped his mouth with his napkin and turned to Diana.

"By the way, my mom said that she has to stay late at the church again. She doesn't want me to be at home by myself and told me to ask if I can stay the night here."

"Oh, of course, honey!" Diana grinned, happy to have the company. "You can stay whenever you'd like. I'll give Mariel a call to let her know. Go grab your stuff from your house. Your room here is still the same."

Jamie nodded and got up, placing his dishes in the sink before heading to his house to grab an overnight bag. As Claire gathered the dishes from the table, Elli's words from earlier rang in her mind. If it were anyone else… Claire sighed as she washed the dishes. Perhaps it was best not to think about it at all. She pushed the thought from her mind and finished up with the dishes quickly, bidding her mother goodnight before heading back upstairs to shower. She did so as fast as possible so as not to waste water and changed into her pajamas in the bathroom and tying her hair up into a damp bun. She was walking back to her room when she bumped into Jamie in the hallway.

"Watch where you're going, short stack."

"Whose house is this, again?" Claire narrowed her eyes at Jamie, the two locked in a frustration-fueled staring contest before Jamie looked down at her pajamas and scoffed.

"Nice pajamas." Jamie pinched the sleeve of Claire's oversized tee shirt and Claire pulled it out from between his fingers, huffing. She adjusted her shirt and cloth shorts before turning back to Jamie.

"They're not made to impress, Jamie. I'm comfortable."

"I pray for your future husband."

"God forbid you trap someone into being your wife."

"People are too stupid and unreliable for me to even consider having a spouse."

"Oh, good, you'll die alone just like I hoped."

Once more, the two glared at each other in a stalemate in the middle of the hallway. Jamie was the one to break the stare first and he headed for the bathroom, shutting and locking the door behind him. Claire rolled her eyes as she watched him and, once the door closed, she headed for her room, shutting her bedroom door. She hung her damp towel on the hook on her door and tossed her dirty laundry into her hamper, then took a seat at her desk. She pulled the agenda out from her backpack and looked it over with a sigh. There were so many activities planned… It was beyond her how Gwen thought it would all be doable. Claire grabbed a red pen and began to cross out activities that she deemed unnecessary. No water balloon fight, no bonfire, no barbecue, no carnival. Those were all either too expensive or just plain lame. If they wanted to keep the bigger things like the lock in or the beach trip, they'd have to make some sacrifices.

Suddenly, Claire's door opened and Jamie walked in with the agenda in hand. He shut the door behind him as he entered, gently since Diana was most likely asleep. Jamie was in his pajamas, a tee shirt and some plain grey pajama pants. Claire noted this, but decided not to call him out on it. Instead, she just quirked a brow at his entry.

"What do you want? It's polite to knock before entering a girl's room, you know."

"Whatever. I knew you were decent. I came because I want to go over this ridiculous agenda."

"Oh, right." Claire looked down at her paper. "I was just going over it myself. I'm crossing off the less important or undoable ideas in favor of the ones we can actually afford and that people would be more excited for."

"Good." Jamie pulled up the spare chair in Claire's room to her desk, making sure to stay a good distance away from her. "We don't have as much of a budget as last year's senior class, so we'll need to cut down on a lot. Even the events we do decide to do, they'll have to be changed. Let me see what you have so far." He grabbed the paper out of Claire's hands and, before she could grab it back or say anything, Jamie was up and walking around the room as he looked it over. Claire simply crossed her arms over her chest and sighed as she waited for him to finish. Once he finished reading it over, he grabbed her pen and placed a star next to the Lock In, the Senior Breakfast, the Senior Dinner, and the Senior Beach Party.

"Why did you put a star next to those?"

"We only need those ones." Jamie set the pen back down on the desk.

"You don't want to do the bonfire?"

"Good God, no."

"I figured." Claire chuckled and nodded her head. "I agree with you. This seems like a good list of activities compared to what it was before. It's much more affordable this way. The Lock In doesn't concern any costs for location, just for food and a movie to rent. There's already a projector in the gym."

"Exactly, and the breakfast we can do cheaply. We don't need to cater from anywhere too fancy. We could probably ask for parent volunteers to cook, anyways, or maybe ask the culinary class. The dinner and the beach party are the only two that really concern any large expenses."

"Sounds like a good plan. I'll bring this to Gwen tomorrow and hope she actually listens." Claire sighed and leaned back in her chair, but not far enough to tilt it. "I can't believe she wanted to do all of those other things… So ridiculous."

"She has the right intentions, just not the right budget."

"I suppose so."

The night had already settled long ago, the sun gone and the moonlight the only thing illuminating Claire's room through her large bedroom window. Claire turned to look at Jamie, who had been looking out the window since he took his seat again. 'If it were anybody else…' The words rang in the back of Claire's mind again and it made Claire wonder just how different the situation would be if it weren't Jamie sitting in that chair, but another boy. They certainly wouldn't be sitting there talking about student council agendas, that was for sure. Claire's cheeks turned pink at the thought and, embarrassed, she turned away from Jamie to stare at the wall instead. A photo of Jamie and Claire as children was pinned to the wall with a thumbtack, the two of them looking miserable in each other's presence even at ten years old. Diana and Mariel had gotten the two matching shirts to wear and forced them to wear the shirts for a photo. Claire chuckled at the look of irritation on their young faces and Jamie followed Claire's look with curiosity.

"You still have that picture?"

"Of course I do. You look absolutely ridiculous."

"So do you."

"A little, yeah." The two looked at the picture in silence for a moment, each absorbed in their own thoughts and unsure of what to add to the conversation. After a few minutes, Jamie stood up and grabbed his agenda from Claire's desk before heading to the door.

"Well, I'm going to bed."

"Okay, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Jamie disappeared behind the door, shutting it behind him as he left. Claire walked over to her bed with a yawn and crawled into the covers, reaching over to plug her phone in to charge it overnight. She laid on her back and stared up at the ceiling, her thoughts taking over the silence of the room. Again, the words from before echoed in her mind. Jamie wasn't anyone else. He was Jamie, and their relationship was weird. Jamie wasn't someone had to be worried about being in her room late at night. He was just her neighbor who was an arrogant ass with no tact and no care for anyone besides himself. That was it.

Right?


	3. Chapter 2: Back to the Front

The weeks that passed lulled into the monotonous daily routine of high school life. Claire woke up, went to class, came home, did her homework, and went to sleep. On the weekends, she'd go out to lunch with the girls or spend the day with her mother cleaning the house or watching television with her father. Aside from that, Claire's days went by uneventfully. She was able to talk Gwen into changing the events for the year without any trouble and that lent to a smoother progression of the days. August cooled into September and then September into October. The summer heat faded away and a cool autumn chill took its place. Claire was more than pleased, seeing as how she was finally able to wear her sweatshirts again. Her father brought her a new sweatshirt from every business trip he went on and her newest addition was a Harvard sweatshirt, the interior still soft and new.

"Claire, breakfast is ready!" Diana called up the stairs, spatula in hand.

"Coming!"

Claire pulled on the hoodie and tied her hair up into a bun, adjusting her bangs to make sure none of it was sticking up weirdly. She pulled on her sneakers, grabbed her backpack, and headed down the stairs. She was about to head into the dining room when she spotted Jamie's familiar purple hair heading the same way. Claire scowled and she looked to her mother for an explanation. Diana only shrugged with an innocent smile. Claire could only sigh and take her seat, Jamie sitting down across from her. The empty seat belonging to her father became a common occurrence, enough for Claire not to be bothered to ask about it anymore. He was gone on another business trip, promising only to be gone for a week and to return with a new sweatshirt for Claire to add to her collection. Claire could see the toll her father's repeated absence took on her mother, so she chose to stop asking about the empty spot at the table.

"Is your mom busy again?" Claire looked to Jamie who simply nodded his head in response. Claire left it at that. She didn't want to make plain conversation just to fill the silence, especially with him. She did, however, feel a twinge of empathy for him. She obviously knew how it felt to have an absent parent, but at least she had her mother still at home. Mariel was all Jamie had, so perhaps that was why Diana was always inviting Jamie over.

"You two have that Senior Lock In tomorrow, right?" Diana asked as she placed some pancakes on Jamie's plate. Both Claire and Jamie nodded silently, their eyes trained on the warm pancakes. "That sounds like a lot of fun. How does that even work?"

"They throw all of the seniors into the gym for the night and lock the doors. Then they pray for the best." Jamie poured some syrup onto his pancakes.

"Then they pray no one gets pregnant," Claire added.

"Claire, don't be crude!" Regardless of her chastising, Diana laughed and checked the watch on her wrist. "You two better hurry up and eat. You'll be late if you take too long."

They quickly finished up their breakfasts and thanked Diana for the meal before heading out to the driveway. Jamie held up a set of keys in his hand and turned to Claire with determination in his icy eyes.

"I'm driving."

"Like hell, you are. If you drive, we're definitely gonna be late."

"With you driving, there's no guarantee that we'll make it there at all."

"Hey, I was in one accident and it wasn't even my fault!"

"Still a mark on your record, short stack."

"Ugh, fine, whatever, Just hurry the hell up."

Claire waved her hand at him in frustration, beckoning him to hurry up as she headed next door to Jamie's driveway. The car he shared with his mother rather suited him. It was a minivan, safe and secure with nothing exciting about it. Mariel used it to carpool people for church and, when she didn't need it, she carpooled herself and let Jamie use the car. Claire hopped into the passenger seat and set her backpack at her feet before buckling her seatbelt. She felt the engine rumble to life as Jamie turned the key and she decided to focus on the passing scenery as Jamie drove, their small town passing by. The ride was silent, Jamie not even bothering to turn on the radio. When they finally parked in the school's lot, the warning bell was already ringing.

"I told you, you drive too slow!" Claire huffed and grabbed her backpack, then stepped out of the van and didn't wait up for Jamie as she headed into the school. Claire gave a wave and a smile to the attendance window lady, who smiled and waved in return. Claire had to run to her class, but she made it on time with seconds to spare. She wasn't about to let her perfect attendance record be tarnished just because of Jamie's overly-safe driving.

The morning classes passed by quickly and without event. Soon enough it was lunch time and Claire made her way to the computer lab just as she always did. However, when she pushed open the heavy door Ann, Elli, and Jill were nowhere to be found. Claire, assuming they were just running late, took her seat at their table and pulled out her lunch. She cracked open her tupperware of various fruit and popped a grape into her mouth. Just as she bit down and the juice exploded in her mouth, the sound of the door opening caused Claire to turn and look. She was expecting Ann's fiery red hair or Elli's soft brown, but instead she saw platinum blond. Her lips turned to a scowl as she recognized the hair's owner.

"What do you want, Skye?"

"Oh, Claire." Skye looked to Claire with green eyes sparkling with something Claire couldn't quite name. His expression was unreadable, too. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

"Not long enough. Answer my question."

"I wanted to talk, is all!"

"I don't want to talk to you." Claire narrowed her eyes at him, then turned and began to pack up her belongings, her appetite completely spoiled by Skye's presence and her stomach feeling icy and cold and empty. "Either you leave or I do."

"Claire, would you please just-"

"Enough." Claire looked up, meeting his emerald eyes with her own sapphires. For a moment, she wanted to forgive him. The turmoils of their relationship during their Junior year seemed to fizzle to nothing and she wanted nothing more than to walk over to him and let his arms envelope her like they used to. She stopped herself before she could let her thoughts move any further. She tore her gaze away and shredded the feeling of forgiveness in her heart. She shoved her lunch back into her backpack and headed for the door, pushing past Skye roughly and leaving the room. Her eyes brimmed with tears she was desperately fighting to hold back. Claire hurried herself down the hall, begging for her feet to carry her away faster. She kept her head down and avoided eye contact with anyone else in the hall. She could hear Skye yelling after her, pleading for her to stop and listen to what he had to say. Claire ignored it, his begging falling on deaf ears. She turned a sharp corner and immediately bumped into the one person she didn't want to see her in such a state.

"Watch where you're walking, short stack." Jamie looked down on Claire from his superior height and crossed his arms over her chest. Claire kept her head down, eyes trained on the floor, and Jamie scoffed. "Didn't you hear me? Surely you aren't ignoring me." His voiced trailed off near the end as Claire finally raised her head and narrowed her wet eyes at Jamie, a fresh tear falling down her cheek. Jamie took a step back, unsure of what to say or do in such a situation. Claire heard Skye's voice calling again and she rushed past Jamie down the hall. Skye rounded the corner just as Claire was at the end and he looked on with a disappointed sigh before he turned back around and left. Jamie watched as Skye left and shook his head with a sigh before going on his own way, deciding that it was none of his business.

Claire went into the girl's bathroom, a safe enough spot for her to finally let her emotions flood through the gates she'd tried to desperately to hide them behind. She shut herself into a stall, shaky hands sliding over the lock. With a breathy sob, she leaned her head against the door and began to cry freely. Every time she inhaled, her lungs were filled with the stale, perfumed air of the bathroom. It was unpleasant, but unavoidable. Claire used the back of her hands to furiously wipe away the offending tears, sniffling as she tried to calm her breathing and regain her composure. Seeing Skye like that after she'd tried to hard to avoid him this whole time… The memory of their breakup pushed to the forefront of her mind, the same place it had been all summer. Claire took several more deep breaths before the lunch bell rang against the tiled walls. Claire sighed and wiped her eyes once more before stepping out of the stall.

Claire walked over and rested her hands on the cool porcelain of the sink, placing her weight against it as she took another breath. The bags under her eyes from late nights of studying were even more prominent after she had cried. Claire cursed herself for not being the type to wear makeup. If she were, she'd have been able to cover it up easily. Instead, Claire just wet a paper towel with cool water and cleaned up her face before patting her cheeks a few times and taking more deep breaths. She gave herself one last glance, tired eyes focused on her reflection, before hurrying to the student council room. She ignored the look Jamie gave her when she walked in the room and took her seat wordlessly, remaining silent throughout the rest of the school day.

She kept her eyes trained on her school work on her desk. She let the chatter of the classrooms fill her head. She kept her senses occupied so they wouldn't return to the events that transpired earlier. Even on the car ride home, Claire remained quiet as a mouse. Jamie, too, was silent as he focused on the road. They pulled into his driveway and Claire got out of the car, backpack over one shoulder, and headed for her house without another word.

Jamie was about to call after her, even if to offer a rude quip about not getting any thanks for the ride, but he refrained and decided to keep his mouth shut, swallowing any words he might have said. She didn't want to be bothered and he wasn't the comforting type by any means. She'd be fine like she always was, he told himself. He'd seen her recover from worse.

Claire trudged up her driveway and to the front door, only to be met by a note taped to it. The thought of a hot shower and crawling into bed to cry again was washed away as she looked over the note, the words written in Diane's memorable loopy handwriting.

'Claire, I had to step out for the night. The girls and I are going out drinking! I need a fun night, don't you agree? Stay over at Mariel and Jamie's house tonight so you aren't home alone. I already dropped off an overnight bag for you there. Have a good night, sweetie! Love you!'

With a loud groan, Claire took the note off of the door and crumbled it in her hand before hitting her forehead gently against the front door a few times. Her day had been rough enough as it was. Why, of all nights, did Claire's mother have to go out for a Girl's Night with her friends? The blonde gave a final, frustrated sigh before heading over to Jamie's house, note in hand as she cut across the lawn. He hadn't even gotten his front door unlocked before Claire cleared her throat as she joined him on the porch.

"Looks like my mom won't be home tonight. Gotta crash at your place. She said to."

"Okay."

Jamie unlocked the door and stepped inside, shutting and locking the door after Claire entered. It had been some time since Claire had last needed to stay the night over at Jamie's house, the case usually being the opposite. Now that she was in the house, she could see why Mariel never wanted Jamie to be home by himself. The house was rather empty, save for a few nice furniture sets and a multitude of house plants. Jamie turned on the light in the living room and set his backpack on the couch.

"You can shower first. You remember where everything is, right?"

"Yeah, no problem. My mom said she left an overnight bag for me but…" Claire looked around the living room and front room, no bag to be seen. "I don't know if she really did drop it off."

"Well, if it's not around here then I don't think she did. We don't have a guest room, so it wouldn't be in there. It's certainly not going to be in my room."

"Either way, I don't have any pajamas to change into."

"Ugh, you're hopeless." Jamie left the living room and headed for his mother's bedroom door but his hand hesitated at the handle. For a moment, he debated with himself then turned away from Mariel's room and went to his own, then returned to the living room with a tee shirt and some sweats, handing them to Claire roughly. "Good enough?"

"Yeah, thanks."

"Good. I'll get something started for dinner. Hurry up and shower."

"M'kay."

Claire set her backpack down next to Jamie's on the couch then headed for the bathroom to shower. She grabbed a towel from the hall closet before shutting herself in the bathroom and sighing as she rested her back against the closed door. She had been hoping to lock herself in her own room and let herself have an emotional breakdown with sad music on repeat until she fell asleep. It seemed that life had other plans for her. Claire turned the water on for the shower and stripped, tossing her clothes to the floor. She took her hair out of the tied bun and let it fall down in its molded waves, then stepped into the shower. The hot water ran over her and straightened her hair out with its weight and she felt the heat scald her skin as it rushed over her. She exhaled through her nose and felt her muscles relax from it.

The events from earlier in the day began to replay in her mind like a movie theater. She took a seat in the mental theater and let the images play. Skye's face when he entered that computer room had been unreadable, but she could remember clearly his expression when she confronted him about the text messages she'd in the spring earlier that year. She remembered the sinking feeling in her gut and her heart stopping cold as his confession of guilt left his lips. She remembered deleting and destroying everything that reminded her of him: every text, every picture, every note, every gift. It had all been a lie, as far as she was concerned. If he really did love her, he wouldn't have said what he did behind her back and he wouldn't have done what was unforgivable.

Hot tears blended with the hot water and Claire didn't realize she had begun to cry. Quickly, as if in a panic, she turned the knob to 'cold' and let the icy water freeze her up, sucking in air through clenched teeth. Goosebumps prickled her skin and she tried to scrub them away with the lavender soap provided. The cold water was able to calm her reddened eyes and let her have an excuse for being shaky. She stepped out of the shower to dry off and tied her hair up with the towel, then got dressed in the clothes Jamie had given her. She folded her dirty laundry to put in her backpack and headed out of the bathroom and down the hall back to the living room. The smell of fettuccine alfredo took over the air and Claire hummed in approval of Jamie's choice for dinner.

"Took you long enough. Did you waste all of my hot water?" Jamie called from his seat at the table, eyes trained on his phone. He hadn't started eating yet, both his plate and presumably Claire's still full with a serving of pasta. Claire placed her clothes into her backpack and took her seat at the table across from him, her own phone in hand.

"No, there's still plenty left for you. Maybe it'll melt that icy heart of yours."

"Nonsense. The heat of the sun couldn't even do that."

"No fucking kidding." Claire couldn't help but chuckle and Jamie felt himself relax a little bit. For what reason, he wasn't sure. He blamed it on the fact that Claire was harder to be around when she got emotional. He remembered just how insufferable she was when summer had started and she was freshly heartbroken. Getting Claire back to her usual, annoying self made his life easier than when she was an emotional wreck.

The two of them ate in silence after that exchange, both of them on their phones as they finished their dinners. Claire had some concerned texts from the girls about her absence from their usual lunch spot when they had finally arrived. She sent back a response assuring them she'd tell them about it later and that she was fine. She sent one more text to advise them to perhaps start looking for a new place to eat lunch. Ann suggested the gym but Elli protested, stating that it was far too crowded for them to have lunch like they normally would. Claire agreed and they decided they'd all look for a new lunch spot tomorrow.

Claire spoke up, stating that she'd take care of the dishes since Jamie cooked and he nodded, letting her take his empty plate from her. Jamie left to go shower and Claire took care of the sink of dishes. By the time they had both finished, Claire's hair had finally dried enough to where she could comb it through with her fingers. She placed her damp towel on top of the washing machine in their garage and, when she returned to the living room with her fingers running through her tangled hair, Jamie scolded her for not taking better care of herself and gave her a brush to use. Claire took the brush but stuck her tongue out. Jamie called her childish, but then returned the gesture anyways.

Claire brushed out her hair then claimed a spot on the couch and got to work on her homework for the evening while Jamie got to work on watering all of the house plants. They worked in silence on their respective tasks, leaving the other to their business. Claire looked up to Jamie to ask him something but the words never came out when she spotted him watering the flower pot by the tv. He had a soft smile on his lips as he looked closely at the plant, as though it were a father looking at his child with pride and love. Claire only looked at him for a few seconds before she chuckled to herself, though Jamie most definitely heard it. He snapped his head in her direction, cheeks turning red with embarrassment at being caught.

"What the hell are you laughing at, short stack?"

"Your face, you proud plant dad. You're looking at the flowers like they just made you a really ugly '#1 Dad' mug."

"I'll have you know that showing proper attention to plants, including speaking to them when tending to them at least once a day, has been scientifically proven to be beneficial to their growth."

"Yeah, and I bet those scientists who found that out looked like dorks doing it, too."

"I wouldn't expect you to understand. It's beyond your comprehension."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Let me know when the little daisies take their first steps so I can grab the video camera." Claire snickered and returned to looking at her notebook in her lap, already working on the next question as Jamie silently fumed. The room became silent again, save for the sound of Jamie pouring water into the planters. It wasn't until Jamie moved from that to dusting off the furniture that he spoke up again.

"So, what happened at school earlier? You and Skye seemed to be causing a scene, yet again. Don't tell me that's back on. It was such a headache having you two together."

Claire shut her notebook and looked to Jamie with narrowed eyes. "No, it's not back on. And mind your own business, would you? It's not like I want everyone to see shit like that. He's always managing to find a way to embarrass the hell out of me…" Claire grumbled a few expletives to herself as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Good. He wasn't good for you, anyways. That's what my mom said."

"Yeah, well Mariel was right."

"She usually is."

Again, the two returned to their usual silence. After a couple of hours of Jamie doing chores and Claire finishing her homework, Claire finally decided to call it a night. She moved hers and Jamie's backpacks to the floor and went to the hall closet to grab herself a blanket and pillow to make her bed on the couch. Jamie bid her a good night and Claire returned it, then settled into her makeshift bed as Jamie left to his room. Claire laid there and stared up at the ceiling, a soft sigh escaping her. She forced her eyes shut as though she were trying to fall asleep by purely willing it. She wanted the day to be over with and, as though the world were finally feeling sympathy for her, Claire drifted into a dreamless sleep, the emotional roller coaster of the day tiring her out enough to stay asleep until morning.


End file.
